Alphonse Elric and the Red Tattoo
by AdventureAddict
Summary: HP crossover Post CoS & DH. Two young boys both named Al quickly meet and bond over candy on a train headed to Hogwarts. But as the past of their families catch up with them, can the two young friends manage to solve a mystery sweeping through the castle?


**Yay! My first crossover fic! I can now say I've reached out into fanfiction other than Fullmetal Alchemist! ...Okay, so I haven't reached very far, but at least I'm expanding my horizons! XD I've loved Harry Potter for forever it seems, so it's only natural that I would eventually write some fanfiction for it. I had to go back and check on a lot of different points in the first Harry Potter book though. I used to know all those little facts off the top of my head. T.T Anywho, don't own either of them, sadly. Post Conqueror of Shamballa and post Deathly Hallows. Happy reading!**

Alphonse Elric and the Red Tattoo, by AdventureAddict

Chapter One – The Journey Begins

Alphonse carefully looked around the train station once, twice. There had to be some kind of mistake. He couldn't see a platform 9¾ anywhere. There was a platform nine, and a platform ten, but nothing in between them except a solid stone barrier.

The young boy quickly kept pushing his cart forward, hoping for some kind of sign that would tell him where to go. A strand of tan-blond hair fell in front of his steel gray eyes and he blew it away with an irritated huff. Where was platform 9¾?

"James, give it a rest!" Alphonse heard a mother in the distance say exasperatedly. He looked up in the direction he had heard it come from and nearly fell over in surprise.

That tousled black hair was just a little too distinct, especially when it was on the top of an adult, who usually kept their hair neat at least as an example for their children. How could it possibly be anyone other than the famous Harry Potter, the auror Alphonse had spent hours pouring over in the history books he had gotten for Hogwarts? Sure, he was older than the pictures of him back when he had defeated Voldemort, but that was to be expected, especially since Alphonse had an older copy of A History of Magic rather than the new editions that were 20 sickles more expensive.

Alphonse excitedly pushed his cart forward, making sure to give the family enough space so they wouldn't notice him, but not letting them get far enough away so that he wouldn't be able to see what they were dong.

Harry and a woman with vivid red hair stood next to a boy with the same jet-black hair as his father. A younger girl stood off to the side with puffy red eyes that made it look as if she had just been crying. The boy with black hair looked like he could be the same age as Alphonse.

Alphonse was just about to approach them and ask for help when the entire family suddenly ran towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten, and then disappeared just as suddenly. Alphonse quickly did a double take, wondering first about where they had disappeared to, and then wondering if anybody else had seen that. The rest of the people in the station just kept going as if nothing had happened.

Alphonse had no idea what to do to get on the platform – after all, the Potters had just _vanished_ – but when he glanced up at the clock on the wall, he realized that he was quickly running out of time. The best idea he had come up with so far was to just run at the barrier like the Potter family had done and hope for the best. And if he kept deliberating, he wouldn't be able to do even _that_.

Alphonse quickly set his face and gripped the handles on his cart tightly. The barrier in front of him looked so solid. What was he hoping for? That he'd be able to walk right through it?

Alphonse sighed inwardly, but quickly started to push his cart forward. His brisk walk soon turned into a jog, and then the jog quickly turned into an all-out sprint. Alphonse could feel the ground pounding beneath his feet, but he was too busy looking at the bricks in front of him to look down at something as trivial as his feet. He knew that if this didn't work, then both he and his cart would go flying, and he would be very sore the next day.

Alphonse gritted his teeth at the thought, but his feet kept flying beneath him. He wanted to close his eyes at the second the barrier and his cart would have touched, but he found his that his eyes couldn't seem to close and he was stuck staring straight at the barrier that could be his doom.

And he kept staring at it when his cart was halfway trough it, and then when his arms were partway through. He kept staring ahead at the barrier until he realized that the barrier was now behind him instead of in front of him.

"Yes!" Alphonse muttered happily to himself, a grin crossing quickly across his features. He looked over his shoulder quickly, and noticed with a hint of surprise that the barrier was no longer a barrier, but instead an iron archway. He shrugged and looked back at the scarlet engine in front of him. This was the magic world now, not all that Alchemy and "Equivalent Exchange" stuff.

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!" Alphonse heard a young girl say enthusiastically as he started walking parallel to the train, while gazing up in awe. "Teddy would _really_be part of the family then!" Alphonse grinned to himself and shook his head. He didn't mean to listen in; the girl was just talking rather loudly.

He then jumped in surprise when he felt his shoulder bump against another. He quickly turned to apologize and found himself looking up at a young woman with bushy brown hair. A man about the same age stood next to her, his red hair and freckles almost looking comical on a face that obviously wasn't a kid's anymore.

"First time at Hogwarts?" the woman asked kindly, and Alphonse quickly nodded, feeling a blush work into his cheeks. Was it that obvious?

"Muggle-born?" the red-haired man asked, and Alphonse nodded again, the blush deepening as he looked down at his clothes. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that he was looking at his clothes, they did seem a little too well matched for a wizard. And as he looked at them, he started wondering why he had bothered to wear them, since they made him look stupid even in the muggle world. Sure, the red coat and shiny black pants with the matching black boots might be a sort of "family tradition," but he felt like he was ready to go to a convention.

"Here, I'll help you with your trunk," the bushy-haired woman said, making Alphonse suddenly snap out of his thoughts.

"Oh, no!" he quickly said, remembering all the different rules of etiquette he had learned over the years. "I'm fine, really! I'm sorry to have bumped into you ma'am!" he stuttered out in a long string, and then, realizing that his words could be taken the wrong way, he quickly amended, "I mean, I'm sorry I hit you with my shoulder! It was a pleasure to meet both of you!"

"I'm Hermione Weasley, and this is my husband, Ronald," the woman told him. She looked at him with a hint of amusement in her eyes, even though she managed to keep the motherly look on her face. However, the man called Ronald looked ready to start laughing hysterically at Alphonse's outburst.

"Ron," the red-haired man amended quickly, looking over at his wife. Alphonse thought he saw the woman roll her eyes, but her husband didn't seem to catch it. Or maybe he had and wasn't making a big deal about it. Alphonse quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts, quickly reminding himself that it wasn't any of his business.

"My name's Al," Alphonse quickly told them. "Er- I mean, Alphonse Elric," he added with a slight bow towards the couple, realizing that he had used his nickname instead of the whole name.

"Al?" the man said as he raised one eyebrow. "Bit of a popular name now, isn't it?" Alphonse shrugged at the words. How could a name like_Alphonse_ ever be popular in the twenty-first century?

"Alphonse Elric?" the woman repeated, and Alphonse looked over at her, only to see that she had a look of utter amazement on her face. "But how could you be Alphonse Elric? That was back in the nineteen-twenties!" Alphonse sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the train station. Sadly enough, he had gotten used to this in the few weeks he had been exposed to the wizarding world.

"You must be thinking about my grandfather," Alphonse quickly told her, looking back at the couple. The red-haired man was looking confusedly between the two as if he had no idea where the conversation had gone. "My grandfather's name is also Alphonse Elric. He and my great-uncle Edward are the famous Alchemists. I'm just named after him," he quickly explained to the woman.

Alphonse jumped as the train whistle blew loudly behind him. He quickly apologized a second time for bumping into the couple, and then hurried off in the direction of the train.

Alphonse quickly pulled his trunk onto the train, albeit with a little struggle, but he managed to get it on anyway. For the first time he felt grateful that he didn't have enough money to afford a pet, since it would only add to the bulk and difficulty. He then hurried down the center isle of the train until he managed to find an empty compartment.

He barely managed to stuff everything into the compartment just as the train started to lurch forward. Alphonse practically wanted to sprawl out on one of the plush red seats, but he was immediately interrupted by the sound of the compartment door being slid open again. He looked up with a sigh and found himself looking at a pale-faced boy with blond hair and a sharp chin.

"Hello," the boy drawled as he looked around the compartment and then at the small boy sitting inside it. Alphonse almost wanted to hug his arms across his chest – he felt like he was somehow being judged.

"Hi," Alphonse said tentatively as the boy sat in the seat across from him. Now he was really starting to wish he had worn different clothes. The other boy was looking at Alphonse's jacket with a bit of a scowl crossing his face. And Alphonse was pretty sure that the boy's clothes were made of very fancy fabric, unlike his travel-worn, hand-me-down coat. First it had belonged to his uncle Edward, then grandpa Alphonse, then his mother, and now it was finally his. Alphonse was beginning to suspect that the alchemy his grandpa and uncle were always talking about had played a role in the jacket's survival, since he didn't think that any other jackets would have been able to survive this long without any signs of aging.

"My name's Scorpius Malfoy," the other boy informed Alphonse, holding out his hand to shake.

"I'm Alphonse Elric," Al told him as he slowly shook hands with Scorpius, not liking the feel of the boy's clammy skin against his.

"So what house do you think you're going to be in?" Scorpius asked as he leaned backwards against the seat. Alphonse sighed inwardly, realizing that the boy wasn't going to leave without a fight, but he put a smile on his face anyway and tried to start a conversation.

"Well, my Uncle Edward said he'd pummel me if I was in anything other than Gryffindor, since he doesn't want any relatives that aren't brave and true and all that stuff…" Alphonse trailed off uncertainly, thinking about how his Uncle Edward had probably been joking when he had said that. "And my grandpa said that it didn't matter which house I get in. But I'd bet ten galleons I'm in Gryffindor because my whole family is known for being brave and true." He paused and sighed. It was also the reason why half the people he met freaked out when they heard his name. If his grandpa hadn't been quite so brave and true, he might be able to have a little peace. "What house do you think you'll be in?"

"Probably Slytherin," Scorpius sighed as he folded his hands behind his head. Alphonse nearly laughed out loud as the thought of a large cat sprang into his mind. "My whole family has been in Slytherin for generations. So if I'm not, then my dad'll probably be mad as a horntail." Alphonse sighed and nodded in understanding just as the compartment slid open a second time.

A boy with jet-black hair and bright green eyes poked his head into the compartment curiously, but his eyes narrowed quickly when he noticed Scorpius sitting in the seat across from Alphonse.

"Malfoy," the green-eyed boy spat angrily as Scorpius quickly stood up and returned the glare.

"Potter," he snapped back crossly. Alphonse could feel himself slide downwards in his seat a little. "My father's told me all about _your_family."

"Yeah? Like how my dad saved your dad's sorry butt?" the green-eyed boy countered quickly. "Stop picking on kids that don't know how much of a snake you really are."

"For your information, we were having a civilized conversation," Malfoy spit at the boy. He then turned and looked back at Alphonse. "I strongly advise you not to get mixed up with _his_ lot," he advised Alphonse before storming off irritatedly.

"Sorry about that," the boy sighed with a slight roll of his eyes. "I guess Uncle Ron was right about Malfoys being a bunch of dense, snobby, aristocrats that think they're better than everyone else." Alphonse shrugged at the statement. Scorpius hadn't seemed like all that in the time he had spent with him. Besides, his grandfather had always told him that first impressions aren't always accurate. Even stubborn Uncle Edward had agreed on this piece of advice, so Alphonse supposed that there had to be a sound piece of truth in it if Uncle Edward believed it.

"Mine name's Al," the green-eyed boy told Alphonse, holding out a hand. Alphonse grinned up at him and shook his hand.

"Mine too," he laughed. The other Al seemed momentarily surprised, but then he laughed along with Alphonse.

"Hey, you mind if I come in?" he asked suddenly. "Everywhere else is full." Alphonse grinned again as he shook his head and motioned for him to come in. Al beamed back gratefully at Alphonse, then turned around and dragged in a trunk and large owl cage, which he carefully placed on an empty seat. Alphonse looked curiously at the large black bird and then, unable to resist his natural pull to animals, carefully stuck a finger inside the cage.

The owl cocked his head to one side as he regarded Alphonse's outstretched finger, but then he turned his back on it, deciding that the small bit of flesh was not a threat. Alphonse almost sighed audibly as he pulled his finger back out of the cage.

"That's Sirius," Al sighed, nudging a shoulder towards the cage. "Don't take it personally, he's like that with everyone." Sirius swiveled his head around to look at Al, and then let out an indignant hoot.

"I'm Alphonse Elric," Alphonse told the other Al, realizing that he had forgotten to give his entire name, once again.

"Albus Potter," the other boy replied. "Probably one of the worst names a kid could ever have."

"Oh yeah?" Alphonse said, and Albus snapped his head back up to look at him directly. "What's your middle name?" he challenged. Albus grinned and straightened, confident that he would win the small competition.

"Severus," Albus told Alphonse with a cocky grin. "Albus Severus Potter."

"Alphonse Mustang Elric," Alphonse grinned back. Albus was silent for a moment as the name sunk in, and then he burst out laughing.

"What kind of a middle name is Mustang?!" Albus laughed, and Alphonse quickly joined in. Their faces both quickly turned red, and they were soon clutching at their sides as they tried to breathe deeply and not fall over at the same time.

"I think my mom was drunk when she named me," Alphonse laughed, wiping a tear out of the corner of his eye. "Besides, Roy was probably just to plain."

"Roy?" Albus asked, looking up at Alphonse.

"Yeah," Alphonse sighed. "She wanted to name me after a guy named Roy Mustang, but 'Alphonse Roy Elric' doesn't have quite the same ring as 'Alphonse Mustang Elric.'"

That was enough to have the boys start laughing hysterically again.

"Hey, at least you got something to be grateful for," Albus finally managed to choke out. When Alphonse sent him a quizzical look, he quickly explained, "At least she didn't make your first name Mustang!" Both Als collapsed backwards into their seats again as Sirius considered the two guffawing boys carefully from the safety of his cage.

"So who is this Roy Mustang guy?" Albus asked once they had finally managed to calm down. "I haven't heard of him before."

"Some old family friend," Alphonse shrugged. "I don't really know who he is." But he did know that Uncle Edward started acting really strange whenever someone mentioned Roy Mustang. One minute he'd be screaming about different atrocities the guy had done, the next he would saying that he was sorry they had left him behind.

_Left him behind where? _ Alphonse thought to himself as a moment of silence passed between the two boys.

"Anything off the cart, dears?" a dimpled woman asked as she poked her head into the compartment. Alphonse quickly clambered to his feet with Albus to see what the cart had to offer.

"What kind of candy is this?" Alphonse said as he picked up a box with the words 'Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans' printed on it. The picture on the box made it look like it was jelly beans, but Alphonse didn't know what it meant by 'every flavor'

"Oh, don't get those, they're disgusting," Albus said quickly. "The licorice wands are excellent, though. And chocolate frogs are great, but I get sick of trying to collect all the cards. As soon as you think you got all of them, some other wizard goes and makes himself famous," Albus sighed, grabbing a handful of licorice wands.

Alphonse grinned before grabbing some licorice wands, chocolate frogs and something else called cauldron cakes that looked interesting. He looted around in his pocket and paid the woman twenty knuts for his candy before hurrying back into the compartment with Albus. He hoped they would get to Hogwarts soon. He couldn't wait.


End file.
